A performance by Melbourne’s Symphony Orchestra (MSO) at the BBC Proms in London has been interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters.
Friday night’s recital had just begun when the orchestra was forced to stop playing for more than 10 minutes due to the demonstration. It later restarted its performance.
Jewish Artists for Palestine, which describes itself as a group of “anti-Zionist Jewish writers, visual and performance artists” has claimed responsibility.
It said in a statement that the interruption was in rejection to “Zionist funding, censorship and complicity in our cultural institutions” over the Gaza war, including the MSO and the BBC. Both organisations have been approached for comment.
In a video posted online by a pro-Palestinian group linked to the protesters, people can be seen standing in the upper gallery of the Royal Albert Hall holding black handwritten fabric signs reading “complicit in genocide” and “Jewish Artists for Palestine”.
“The MSO has blood on its hands,” a woman can be heard to shout.
The interruption was captured on BBC Radio 3, which was broadcasting the performance.
Announcer Ian Skelly could be heard narrating what was happening during the interruption, including that security was bought in to remove the protesters.
BBC Radio 3 then broke out of the broadcast for several minutes to play recorded pieces of classical music, during which time Sam Jackson, controller of BBC Radio 3 and BBC Proms, came on stage to make a statement.
Angela Tanner, who was in the stalls, told the BBC that it took quite a while for the protesters to be removed.
“The whole programme had to start again and has been put into a different order after the piano was put onto the stage and taken off again,” she said.
“There was lots of booing from the audience then eventually they [the organisers] announced thanks for our patience.”
Jewish Artists for Palestine said in a statement that it had targeted the MSO’s concert after they cancelled a performance by acclaimed pianist Jayson Gillham last year.
Gillham’s performance in Sydney was cancelled due to comments he made in support of Gazans. The MSO has since said the cancellation had been a mistake.
Shouts of “you silenced Jayson Gillham” and the “MSO is complicit in genocide” was also heard, followed by booing from the audience.
Jewish Artists for Palestine also cited the MSO’s funding and previous performances that Friday night’s principal artist, Khatia Buniatishvili, had given with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
Another audience member, who did not wish to be named, said two of the protest groups were promptly taken out of the building by security but it took more time to eject the third.
She said there was a second round of shouting after the performance resumed but that this was quickly stopped.
“Overall, the atmosphere seemed to be strongly against the protest, with many members of the audience annoyed and shouting obscenities with anger at the protesters.”
It is not the first time that a BBC Proms performance has been interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters. The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra had to stop its 2011 recital twice due to a disturbance by demonstrators.
In 2023, two protesters from environmental campaign group Just Stop Oil interrupted the First Night of the Proms after targeting a number of other events.
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
More than 63,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Most of Gaza’s population has also been repeatedly displaced; more than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed; and the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed; and UN-backed global food security experts have confirmed that there is famine in the Gaza City area.
